Maynard High students take part in exchange program

Eighteen Maynard High School students went on the trip of a lifetime when they traveled to Spain during February vacation.

The trip was part of an exchange program that began in September, when 16 students from Spain made the trip to Maynard, living with local families.

The Maynard students had looked forward to living with their host students in Spain for 10 days.

“We felt very welcome,” said junior Charlie Neuhauser. “It was amazing how quickly the connections and the bonds formed.”

It was an experience they will never forget.

The exchange gave the students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new culture – eating new foods, traveling to new places and living with a new family, if only for a short time.

The pace was slower, they said, and the people very easygoing.

“Everything is slower,” said Hannah Booth, a junior. “There is no sense of urgency.”

Even meeting new people highlighted a difference in culture.

“For example,” said Elisa Faret-Machado, “when we meet new people we give a handshake and say ‘hi, nice to meet you.’ In Spain, if you were meeting a new person, it was two kisses on the cheek, a hug and most of the time it would be a great compliment. They are very kind people. They just have that genuine smile.”

They spent much of the trip traveling around the countryside, although they did spend a little time in school, noticing differences there as well.

Maynard High is much bigger and newer, with more technology, they said, and more extracurricular activities.

“School for them was … just school,” said Charlie. “It was where you went to learn and then you went home.”

In Maynard, he said, activities and friends are often based around school, but in Spain, social activities are held outside of school.

Changing views

Most of what the students learned on the trip came from outside of school.

For Hannah and Kaitlyn Gargas, experiencing a new culture was something they hadn't done before their trip to Spain.

It also gave them an opportunity to speak Spanish outside of a classroom.

“You definitely learn how to use the language,” said Charlie. “We also got to see a lot of amazing natural beauty.”

They also learned a little about themselves.

“It taught me to go with the flow a little bit more,” said Emma Fitzsimmons.

“You’re completely dropped in a new environment,” said Sophie Copley. “It’s not that I’m fluent in Spanish, but I had the confidence to speak as well as I could.”

They came home with a slightly different view of the world.

“I didn’t have much of a view of the world,” said Emma, “so I do feel like I have a better perspective.”

Hannah noted that they saw a glimpse of what Spain would be like when they hosted the students from Spain, but it didn’t compare to the real thing.

“You can’t experience it until you’re really there, until you’re living with a family from Spain,” she said. “When we were there we were really part of the family.”

“I think any sort of trip like this can open your mind a little and you realize ‘wow, there’s a lot out there.’ You get over there and find that everything is do different,” said Charlie.

It was especially rewarding for teacher Jennifer Adams, who organized the trip, and was thrilled to see how excited her students were and how even after one day they were able to share their experiences, speaking in Spanish.

“This was like the nerdy teacher dream,” she said. “It was super rewarding because they were really on their own and they obviously got so much out of it.”